Townsville Bishop Tim Harris says a fear campaign was being spread over the fate of voluntary assisted dying legislation ahead of Queensland’s state election. Source: The Catholic Leader.
Labor MP for Thuringowa Aaron Harper has claimed an incoming Liberal National Party government might return to a private bill from the Katter Australia Party that would change the legislation.
His voice was joined by Go Gentle Australia founding director and atheist Andrew Denton, who wrote a letter to the editor saying Queenslanders were right to be concerned.
Bishop Harris said the fear campaign questioned what a future Queensland government might do about the legislation if elected, despite it not being on the Liberal National Party’s agenda.
He said if the Government had introduced a robust palliative care regime, then VAD would never “seen the light of day”.
“My position on voluntary assisted suicide is well known,” he said. “It is not health care but rather it is not care at all.
“That is why I continue to express my deep concern about this continued embrace of a ‘culture of death’.
“VAD continues to hide the real issue in this election campaign. VAD has been made legal by this government to hide its gross inadequacies.
“It appears the Queensland Government is not interested in pro-life matters but rather political expediency in terms of their so called ‘popular’ VAD stance.”
Bishop Harris said the legalising of VAD has “taken the pressure off governments to truly care for the dying”.
“Palliative care offers holistic care by not only treating the pain aspect but surrounding the patient with love, compassion, warmth and accompaniment,” he said.
Bishop Harris said “euthanasia weakens society’s respect for the sanctity of life, and it leads to less good care for the terminally ill”.
Queenslanders head to the polls on October 26.
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Queensland bishop calls out ‘fear campaign’ over VAD legislation as state election heats up (By Joe Higgins, The Catholic Leader)
